


Still water

by TheIceQueen



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Stiles, Comforting Stiles Stilinski, Confused Stiles Stilinski, Drowning, Embarrassed Derek Hale, Embarrassment, Fear, Gen, Hurt Derek Hale, Panic, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Stiles Stilinski, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-23 16:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21084512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIceQueen/pseuds/TheIceQueen
Summary: Derek is stuck half submerged in water and for some reason he won't let Stiles help him.





	Still water

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:  
Whumptober 2019 #altno.12 – Waterlogged

Derek pushed Stiles from his side and both men submerged in the still water. Still coughing, Stiles rushed back to lift Derek’s head above the surface.

“What the hell?!” Stiles rasped between gasps.

Derek tried to reach a rock nearby but it was too far and, just like a minute ago, Stiles felt a strong hand grab desperately on to his shoulder.

“I told…” Derek’s words were pressed out under his breath and broken up by big heaves for air. “I told you… to leave.”

“You’re stuck. It’s idiotic to drown where there’s no current to drag you under. I’m not going anywhere.”

Why was Derek angry? He couldn’t possibly be that proud that him being thrown into the river and the rock rolling over him was embarrassing.

Fingertips bored into Stiles’s shoulder and upper arm, hard enough that Stiles for a moment thought Derek’s claws were out. Derek turned what little he could and huge panicked eyes found Stiles’s. “I’ll kill you. Just leave.”

Stiles took in the sight of the shaking man in his arms. The water wasn’t rising, they were sure the hunter had given up finding them and Scott was on his way; they weren’t in danger.

An extra layer of fear crossed Derek’s face, before he looked down and again pushed Stiles’s chest. This time Stiles held on and grabbed Derek’s wrist holding him locked. It was surprisingly easy. On any other day, Derek would be able to tear Stiles in half, and he didn’t want to think about what he could do when he was a wolf.

“Stop, will ya?! You’re not going to wolf out.” Stiles looked at the shaking hand he was holding the wrist of. “Please don’t wolf out.”

“S-Stiles…” Derek pulled himself up higher again and almost sounded sad when he spoke. “Just let me be.”

Last time they were in water like this, it wasn’t a rock holding Derek down. It was Derek’s own paralyzed body. But other than that it wasn’t different from this. Except it was; Derek’s voice had been steady, slightly angry, but calm.

“Derek?” Stiles pushed his head under Derek’s arm and looked at his face. “You’re not scared you’ll kill me. Not yet anyway. You don’t want me to see you freak out. You won’t turn from pain or anger; you’re scared of the water aren’t you?”

Derek’s forehead frowned and then he avoided eye-contact, but his arm around Stiles still shook from the test of holding on so tight, and maybe something else too.

“Okay.” Stiles forced his most nonchalant voice. He’d just embarrassed Derek, who was already freaking out. This could very well end up with red water.

With a deep breath, mostly to calm himself, he decided that face to face probably wasn’t the way to go.

“Hang on.” He lifted Derek’s arm but Derek clung tighter around him and his eyes sprung up at Stiles.

“I have to stand behind you. I’m getting tired like this.” The sympathy in Stiles’s voice could have turned Derek on it’s own, but somehow Derek just nodded.

Slowly, Stiles got out from Derek’s grip and stood behind him. With nothing else to hold in to, but Stiles’s arm over his chest, Derek locked both arms around it. Stiles wasn’t sure who was holding on to who.

“Derek?” Stiles tried hesitant.

“Don’t…” The trembling was worse and could be hurt on the one word.

Derek’s whole body was shaking more too. If it was because he was in here for so long or because there was no reason to hide it now, Stiles didn’t know. He just know that the rumble under Derek’s breath wasn’t all human.

“Hey, hey.” Stiles shook Derek’s shoulder with his free hand. “Don’t… C’mon breathe.”

Derek’s deep breath was anger and not calming him.

“Derek, you need to calm down. We’ll both die.” He damned the fear on his own voice. He was never the calm one, but right now he had to be.

He pushed himself a bit further under Derek and gambling both of their lives, as he slowly pushed Derek’s head back to lean on his shoulder. Surprisingly, Derek followed and it seemed as if his next inhale was a bit more controlled.

“Good.” Stiles kept his hand firmly on Derek’s chin and cheek. “Just try to stay calm. Scott will be here any second now.”

“It’s… it’s not…” Derek gasped but the rumble behind the moving air was gone and Stiles’s heart slowed down a bit.

“It’s okay.” Stiles spoke quietly.

Derek shook his head almost careful in Stiles’s hold. “No. I’m…” If Derek could make longer sentences, Stiles was sure he would hear pure fear in his voice. “This is wrong… it’s illogical.”

“You know who you’re talking to, right?” Stiles felt for the guy. The only thing Derek was going through that Stiles hadn’t, was that he thought it wasn’t okay to be scared. “I’m freaking scared all the time. Most I know is illogical, but that doesn’t help it.”

The grip tightened on his arm, but for the first time Stiles was sure it wasn’t from Derek trying not to turn.

“Just breathe. Concentrate on hanging on and breathing and nothing else.”

Derek nodded slightly and drew in a slow and deep breath.

“You’re lucky it’s me out here.” Somehow it felt more natural to speak almost in a whisper. Everything had calmed, everything but the white-knuckled shaking hands one Stiles’s arm. “You know, someone who knows how to deal with fear.”

“If you…” The borderline panic on Derek’s voice took away from him trying to sound threatening. “You… you better…”

“I know. You’ll kill me ugly if I tell anyone.” Stiles couldn’t help but smile at the clear attempt to regain a little of his aggressive bully persona. “I won’t say anything, just concentrate on calming your breathing.”

Why the hell was Scott taking so long?

“Stiles…” Derek’s whisper barely made Stile’s ear. “I… I…” He gasped and swallowed deeply before heaving in a huge amount of air way too fast.

“No, no. Derek.” Stiles lifted him up a bit more and cradled his head tighter. “Listen to my voice. Breathe. Everything is fine. Breathe.”

There was no growl in the desperate heaves for air. A normal, _human_, panic attack, Stiles could handle. Derek shook his head panting for air.

“Derek. Listen!” Stiles almost screamed. “Snap out of it! You’re okay. You hear me?!”

The head on Stiles’s shoulder nodded hastily and the sound of air filling lungs lowered the pace of Stiles’s mind.

“That’s it. There you go.” For the first time, Stiles wasn’t worried that his caring tone would lead to a bad outcome.

Derek turned his head firmly into Stiles’s neck. Surprised, Stiles moved his hand to the back of Derek’s head and supported it there.

“I need…” Derek broke his sentence, this time, with a long deep breath. “I need… to get out of here.”

Stiles nodded and looked into the woods. “I know… any second now.”


End file.
